ISIS pushed out of another town and lose 300 fighters. BBC

A fighter with a machine gun and AK. BBC/Reuters

The Iraqi government are saying that they have taken back the city of Dhuluiya from ISIS. BBC. The city is north of Baghdad and was partially taken by ISIS back in June. The north of the city was fully under ISIS control while the local Sunni tribe, who refused to pledge allegiance to ISIS, were surrounded in the south. The operation began on Sunday with airstrikes and helicopter attacks. By Monday Iraqi troops and Shia militiamen had taken most of the city, with small pockets of resistance left. After fierce fighting overnight, the city had been completely cleared of ISIS forces. ISIS lost at least 300 fighters in the battle. These reports have not been independently verified but both the Iraqi government and a Shia militia leader claimed that Dhuluiya was under Iraqi control. 

My Comment:

Slowly but surely the tide in Iraq seems to be turning against ISIS. I don't know how reliable these reports are but if it is true that the Iraqi government took back this town then it is very good news. Sure, they needed Shia milita support and presumably U.S. airstrikes as well, but they are pushing the enemy back. 

A few months ago it seemed like ISIS was completely unstoppable. They rolled through Iraq like it was nothing and were making gains in Syria as well. Now they seem to be losing on many fronts. This latest battle is just one of a string of setbacks of ISIS and hopefully that trend continues. I'm guessing that ISIS fighters are having a difficult time adjusting to U.S. and coalition airstrikes. They haven't had much luck shooting down any planes or drones. That has to be killing their morale. 

Hopefully the momentum shift is permanent and that ISIS can be pushed back and eventually defeated. It will not be an easy war though. They still have many troops, weapons and control over vast territories with plenty of resources. I'm confident that they will be defeated eventually, but not anytime soon. And even if they are beaten they may rise from the ashes, much like al-Qaeda in Iraq did after their defeat near the end of U.S. involvement in the 2nd Iraq War.